Women's Lacrosse

Willard And Gizzi Named Mariners’ First Ever Landmark WLAX Athletes Of The Week

Mar 22, 2016

TOWSON, Md. (March 21, 2016) – On Monday, the Landmark Conference announced the women's lacrosse Athletes of the Week and, for the first time in program history, members of the USMMA WLAX team were honored. Freshman Meredith Willard (Portland, Maine) was selected as the Offensive Athlete of the Week, while classmate Hannah Gizzi (Finksburg, Md.) earned Defensive Athlete of Week accolades.

The honors come after the duo helped lead the Mariners to a pair of victories to start the season last week. Merchant Marine defeated Purchase in the season-opener, 12-10, on Tuesday night at home, and then followed that up with a 16-0 shutout over Maine Maritime in a "neutral-site game" played at Brooks Stadium on Sunday.

The two wins marked the first time ever that the USMMA women's lacrosse program recorded back-to-back victories, and the Mariners have now registered a multi-win season for the first time in the four-year history of the program.

Over the two contests, Willard recorded a team-high nine points – all coming on goals. In her first collegiate game, the season-opener on Tuesday night, the rookie set a new program record for goals in a single game when she netted half of the Merchant Marine goals in the affair – six. On Sunday, Willard recorded another hat-trick as she scored three times in the win over Maine Maritime.

Gizzi has already tied the program-record for wins in a career as she backstopped the Mariners to both victories between the pipes. Against Purchase on Tuesday, she had 11 saves to earn her first collegiate "W," before shutting out Maine Maritime on Sunday while making one save in the game.

Willard, Gizzi and the rest of the Mariners are back at it this Saturday, March 26, when they travel down to Towson, Md., to take on Goucher in the first Landmark Conference game of the season. Opening draw is set for 12-noon at the Gophers' Beldon Field.

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